Chengdu Without a Visa: The 240-Hour Transit Guide (2026)

Short version: If you’re flying from one country to another and connecting through Chengdu, you can stay up to 240 hours — 10 full days — with no visa at all. No application, no fee, no consulate. You sort it out at the airport when you land.

This guide tells you three things, fast: whether you qualify, exactly what happens at the airport, and what’s actually worth doing with the days you get.

Short on time and want it all planned? Tell us your dates → and we’ll send a free day-by-day plan that fits your transit window.

1. Do you qualify? (30-second check)

You need all three:

1. Your passport is from an eligible country. 50+ countries are covered, including the US, Canada, UK, all of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
2. You’re genuinely in transit: flying Country A → China → Country C, where C is not the same as A. This is the rule people get wrong most often.
3. You hold a confirmed onward ticket leaving China for that third country within 240 hours, and your passport is valid for at least 3 more months.

⚠️ The #1 mistake: A round trip — home → Chengdu → home — does not count. It must be a true transit to a different third country (e.g. US → Chengdu → Thailand). Get this wrong and you’ll be refused at the gate.

2. What you actually get

• Up to 10 days (240 hours), counted from midnight after you land.
• Free movement around Chengdu and 10 other Sichuan cities — including Leshan (the Giant Buddha) and the Dujiangyan / Mount Qingcheng area.
• Under the 2026 rules you can even cross into other provinces, so a side trip beyond Sichuan is allowed.
• You enter and exit through one of two Chengdu airports: Tianfu (TFU) or Shuangliu (CTU).

3. At the airport, step by step

1. On the plane, fill in the arrival card (or use the kiosk).
2. After landing, don’t join the regular immigration line — look for the “Temporary Entry / Visa-Free Transit” counter.
3. Show the officer your passport, your onward ticket to the third country, and your hotel address in Chengdu.
4. They issue a temporary entry stamp. Done — you’re in, no fee.

It takes a few extra minutes versus a normal arrival. Keep your onward flight confirmation screenshotted offline in case there’s no signal.

📶 Get online before you land. China blocks many apps and the airport WiFi wants a local number. A travel eSIM you activate before arrival saves a real headache. (We’ll recommend one here.)

4. How to spend your time

You’ve got a hard clock. Here’s how the days actually shake out.

~48 hours (a real stopover):

• Pandas in the morning — go at opening time. By 10am they nap and the crowds arrive.
• Old town + a proper local teahouse in the afternoon.
• Hotpot at night, somewhere locals actually eat (not the tourist strip).

3–5 days: add Leshan Giant Buddha and Dujiangyan / Mount Qingcheng as day trips. Both are doable from the city but eat a full day each by public transport.

7–10 days: slow down — a cooking class, real Sichuan opera (the local teahouse version, not the tour-bus show), and an overnight further out.

Don’t want to lose half of each day to logistics? We work with licensed local guides who run private day trips (Leshan, pandas, Dujiangyan). Tell us your window → and we’ll match you.

5. The three things every foreigner trips over

1. Payment. Cash is nearly dead here — set up mobile payment before you arrive.
2. Getting online. Sort connectivity at the airport (see the eSIM note above).
3. Getting into town. TFU is far out; CTU is closer. Know which one you’re landing at.

FAQ

Can I leave Sichuan? Yes — under the 2026 rules you can travel to other eligible provinces, as long as you exit China within 240 hours through a valid port.

Can I extend it? No. 240 hours is the hard cap. Need longer → get a proper tourist visa.

Do I have to book a tour? No. The transit entry is free and independent. (But if your days are tight, a planned trip saves more than it costs.)

Which airport will I be at? Either Tianfu (TFU) or Shuangliu (CTU) — check your ticket; it changes how you get into town.